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[Spectral Codex] Phantom Compendium


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Audio version graciously made by Dragonslayerelf:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0Vs6Pu_FBMmb0hydlF0ZDVzY0E
 

 

 

Phantoms:

(n) - [within the Lord of the Craft universe] spectral undead; the worldly-present souls of the dead; those who have already died yet continue to linger upon the mortal realm.

 

Broken. Fractured. Distorted. The souls of the dead -- manifested as playable entities from previous characters, be they Ghosts or Gravens as unplayable entities such as Apparitions -- are the shadows of souls which once tred the waking world with beating hearts. They are now undead, subject to a host of weaknesses and strengths due to their newfound forms. Below is the centralized summary of each spectral species: Apparitions, Ghosts, and Gravens. Closely related matters such as the dark art Mysticism, Wights, and the Soul Stream will also be summarized.

 

Each section has been taken from their respective origins and adapted to a modernized edition. Urara wrote the initial Ghost lore where cman64 wrote the additional lore of “When Ghosts Get The Munches”. _Grim1_ wrote the initial Graven lore and spqrSancus wrote the additional lore of Second Generation Gravens. SupremacyOps wrote the initial Apparition lore as well as a standardization, a souls list, and purging methods.


 

Overview of spectrals:

The greater an entity is manifest in the world, the more the world can affect them. Where a Ghost is more subtle and ethereal, Gravens are not; Ghosts are majorly immune to physical means of damage besides the striking of gold or enchanted weaponry while Gravens are not immune to physical blows, yet gold or enchanted weaponry is less their bane and rather a weakness. All phantoms are afflicted with their own curse, including:

 

-varying degrees of mental instability. The state of undeath causes the mind of a phantom to corrode and become haunted by mental disorders, flares of emotion, and a generalized lesser sense of control than they had in mortality.

-lack of personal identity and alienation with their original selves. After knowing the world through their original lives, it takes many years for a phantom to come to terms with their new state of being and its implications. Newborn phantoms often do not realize they are dead or do not believe that their situation is real and think it all to be fantasy.

-aversion to sunlight and golden or enchanted items. Radiant lights of all sorts push back the darkness of undeath and harms phantoms, meaning the brilliant rays of the sun oppress phantoms. Gold and enchanted weaponry are able to disrupt the stability of their manifestations and can cause them serious harm. In particular, a line of gold dust will cause a phantom the inability to pass over the line; their forms physically deny them the act and, if forced, will cause them to perish.

-weakness to Fi’, holy, alteration, and shamanistic magic. Where the physical nature of gold and enchantments threaten phantoms, so too does the magical nature of these four magical arts.

-disconnection with the living. In the eyes of a phantom, the living are more akin to animals while other phantoms are supplant the status of other people. Descendants are less real and less imposing to most phantoms where those like themselves -- other phantoms -- are not.

-varying degrees of immortality. A phantom needn’t eat, sleep, or breathe; they may survive indefinitely if without damage.

 

Ghosts and Gravens are subject to the frailty of their compositions, where their weaknesses to magical arts, gold, and enchanted objects may all bring them to demanifestation. Demanifestation is the act of death for a phantom where their forms are disrupted and their soul drifts off. Rather than being healed by the Cloud Temple Monks or entering the Soul Stream, the soul wanders elsewhere within the mortal realm and nests invisibly in a random location so that, after an IRL 30 minute wait, they may regenerate themselves and return to their waking selves.

 

The single-souled make up the vast majority of the spectral population. Ghosts and Gravens have singular soul shadows, meaning they are unique, have a personality, and are relatively conscious of themselves, their actions, and those around them. Apparitions are the combination of many soul shadows into a single mass, causing them to lose their sentience at the price of power; albeit, Apparitions with a dominant soul -- a singular or multiple soul shadows which dominate the will of all other souls within the Apparition -- are particularly cunning and are not wholly consumed by their internal throes or delirium. Due to their multisouled nature and in turn their greater power, Apparitions are lesser subjects to numerous spectral aversions and are not frail as their other undead cousins are.


 

Ghosts

 

Spoiler

Formation

 

Ghosts are the soul shadows of once living characters who have since passed into the Soul Stream; they are often created when a person dies unnaturally, such as being murdered, when the living person was of a dark alignment, or if they had not died whilst under the wings of a religion of faith. Ghosts come in three evolutions, or three stages. The initial two are very similar and Ghosts in these stages are both referred to as ‘Haunts’. Ghosts in the third evolution either become Poltergeists or Revenants, depending on how they develop.

 

 

Behavior

 

The evolutions are as follows:

 

Level 1 and 2 – Haunt

ghostlygisela_zps9898546c.png

Above: Gisela, a level one ghost.

 

A level one Ghost, like Gisela above, is depicted with a black and white, desaturated minecraft skin with blank, white eyes. They lack irises or pupils. Ghosts in this denomination do not realize that they are dead or are in denial. Death is extremely shocking, traumatic, and difficult to deal with, especially when you are the one dying. People have a natural ability to block out traumatic memories and that ability carries over into death. Haunts at this stage are unaware of their deaths and will try to go about their lives as they would normally.  They cannot float, phase through walls, or shift appearances due to the fact that they still believe themselves to be alive. They will often appear exactly as they did at the moment of their death, which can make some of them look especially gruesome. Haunts are not always visible to the people around them. They become more visible/less visible depending on how aware they are of the current world. They exist in a sort of delusional haze that is half reality and half constructed of their memories. These entities are not always unhappy – sometimes their half-dream world is very pleasant for them to live in and they would prefer to exist that way. For instance, the Haunt of a farmer may still “wake up” at dawn and tend the fields as he always did. Even though he cannot physically interact with the world around him, he may believe himself to still be doing hard work thanks to his delusions. Haunts cannot affect the world around them. They cannot often be felt, seen, or heard. They may think they are interacting with the world, but it is all part of the elaborate fantasy of believing they are still alive.

 

However, Haunts may start to break out of their delusional world and see more of the real one. This may occur when they start to encounter things that no longer fit with the delusion. Returning to our farmer mentioned above – perhaps he had a wife that he loved very much. Every night, he laid down beside her and fell asleep. However, since his death, the wife has remarried and a strange man is lying in the bed he used to share with his wife. The Haunt, which can sense the real world beyond their delusion, becomes confused and upset by the presence of the new man. As the delusion starts to break, the Haunt will begin to manifest itself in a way that living people can sense. They may manifest as strange sounds, voices, or visible entities. Often, they will try to interact with the people they sense around them. However, since the Haunts still believe they are alive, it is difficult to speak to them. They will often speak in delusional and deeply confused ways. Their voices are often distorted and vague. They will often refuse to accept the idea that they are dead. They will interpret most new information within the framework of their delusion. For instance, the farmer will believe that his wife no longer loves him and has started an affair – not that he’s died and she’s remarried.

 

When presented with incontrovertible proof that they have died, these Ghosts will break out of their delusional state and evolve to the next level of a Haunt.

 

Haunt's List of Abilities in the First Evolution

-Mostly intangible

-Can interact with the environment in a very limited way, such as opening unlocked doors.

-May fade uncontrollably between visible/invisible

 

ghostlygisela2_zps28da4b16.png

Above: Gisela has manifested as a level two Haunt (a.k.a. A Revenant).

 

Level two Haunts look much like their previous selves but their eyes have changed. They now have pupils and irises. Becoming a level two Ghost is a very important stage in the “death cycle” of a Ghost. This is the point where the phantom has become aware that they are dead and now exist as spirits rather than a lost, confused, and otherwise nonexistent entity. Ghosts may react to this in a number of ways that may influence their development, as you will see below.

 

Because they have now become aware of their ghostly presence, these beings may develop the powers that we typically associate with Ghosts. Namely, they will be able to shift between visible and invisible at will, float, and shift appearance. However, these powers are extremely difficult to master and may take some years for them to fully master. In order to access these powers, the spirit in question must start to forget his or her ties to mortal laws of physics and mass. In order to float, they must be able to realize and believe in their own weightlessness and the idea that, even if they step off a high cliff, they will not fall. Because these ideas are so deeply ingrained in the mortal psyche, they are extremely difficult to get rid of. Thus, most level one and two Haunts  will still walk on the ground like ordinary people because it is still normal to them. A newly awakened Haunt will have no access to ghostly powers and will still react to things as if it were a physical entity, even if they cannot touch or be touched by anything.

 

An important thing to know about this stage is that they cannot “awaken” themselves. They must be awakened by someone else and they will only be awakened when presented with absolutely undeniable evidence of their death. For some, it is the sight of their own dead body or their own grave. For others, it can be something verbal or physical – like proof that they can no longer touch people or objects. It must be something that the Haunt cannot reinterpret as part of their delusions. Most Haunts find the “awakening” process to be extremely upsetting and disturbing. Upon realizing they are dead, many will become very upset. This will influence their evolution as Ghosts. If they can be calmed down and talked to, this will also influence their evolution.

 

Revenant's List of Abilities

-May fade between visible/invisible

-May potentially learn to float

-May potentially learn to shift appearances

-Can interact with environment in a limited way, such as opening doors.

 

Level 3 – Poltergeist or Spectre

ghostlygisela31_zpsb0affe18.png

Above: In the third stage of ghost evolution, Gisela may either manifest as a Poltergeist (left) or a Revenant (right).

 

As stated above, dying is a traumatic thing for both the victim and the people around them. Many Haunts, when made aware of their demise, may become very upset, angry, or react in a strong negative way to their deaths. There are some phantoms that will accept their demise with grace, though. It depends on the individual. Either way, being forced out of a pleasant delusion into a harsh reality may be very upsetting. Depending on how the Haunt reacts, they can evolve in one of two ways. It may take many years existing as a Ghost to become one of the two – neither transformation happens instantly.

 

If the Haunt reacts negatively to their death and cannot be calmed down, they may turn into a Poltergeist. Poltergeists are Ghosts consumed by anger and hate. They can be identified by their strong red color, ashy appearance, or completely black eyes. They are often extremely malevolent and must be handled with caution. Poltergeists are to blame for many of the scary or negative things that Ghosts are infamous for. Poltergeists have mastered the ability to force their will onto physical people and objects. They will often throw things, destroy objects, scratch or harm people, or wail or make frightening noises. They have mastered the art of changing appearance and will often shift into the form of something horrifying to terrorize their victims. Poltergeists cannot return to the state of being a Haunt and their primary purpose is to scare others and cause chaos and destruction in whatever way they can. A Poltergeist can be exorcised just as any other Ghost by Holy magic, Shamanism, Alteration magic, or Fi’. For a Haunt to become a Poltergeist, it takes many years of stewing in anger, hate, denial, or other strongly negative emotions.

 

If the Ghost can be calmed or gracefully accepts their new deceased state, they may become a Revenant. Revenants are identified by their luminous blue color. Revenants are benevolent or at least neutral ghosts and are mostly harmless. They’ve mastered the ability to float, turn visible or invisible, and change appearance, but they typically do not use these abilities to frighten or disturb anyone. There can be playful or mischievous Revenants, but they are not malevolent and will typically not harm others. The goal of this being is to typically find some way to move on into the afterlife, but not always. Revenants are simply mature Ghosts that have made peace with themselves and with death. If they seek to move onto the afterlife, they will often ask the help of mortal people to achieve this task. It takes many years for a Haunt to become a Revenant and they will become one naturally if they learn to accept their deaths.

 

Ghosts don't have to fit neatly in either box, though. Ghosts, whether Poltergeists or Revenants, are still individuals and will retain their living personalities even into their third evolution.

 

Because the core of a Poltergeist is anger and the core of a Revenant is peace, the two level 3 ghost types often find each other highly repellent and try to avoid contact with each other if possible. They do not usually fight one another - simply avoid each other. However, this is not a hard and fast rule. Because Ghosts are still all individuals, sometimes individual Poltergeists and Revenants may not hate each other.

 

Poltergeist List of Abilities

-May float

-May shift appearances (usually to something frightening)

-May interact with the physical world via scratching, throwing objects, destroying objects

-May shift between visible/invisible

-Gives off a soft red glow

 

Spectre List of Abilities

-May float

-May shift appearances

-May shift between visible/invisible

-Can interact with environment in a limited way, such as opening doors.

-Gives off a soft blue glow

 

Ghosts of any evolution, however, are unable to phase through walls. They are limited by some laws of the world still, including the inability to fly, open any lock, or drain the life of another entity.

 

Ghosts are mostly solitary and tend to keep to themselves, unless they are actively haunting a person or place. The non-malevolent Ghosts tend to be somewhat shy, often actively avoiding people and places that they are not haunting. Interacting with a non-malevolent ghost will often cause them to vanish. Ghosts will typically prefer lonely roads, dark forests, or abandoned structures to busy roads or cities.

 

Ghosts tend to avoid each other, being solitary and sometimes quite territorial. They can interact with other Ghosts, but they typically choose not to. A Ghost's haunting area is a very personal space and the presence of other ghosts can be upsetting. As such, they have no real leadership or organization. Ghosts move independent of each other and do not often come in contact or exchange ideas.

 

Most Ghosts are neutral toward people. While they can be terrifying to look at, most are non-malevolent and will not harm others unless provoked. Poltergeists can be harmful, but there are few cases where they actually kill other people. Most of the time, their intent is to terrify rather than murder.

 

Ghosts have a sort of gloomy, depressive, "bad luck"-inducing aura that will start to affect living people if they hang around a ghost for too long. The presence of a ghost, even a benevolent one, can cause depression, thoughts of suicide, unpleasant physical sensations such as coldness or itching. In extreme cases, the presence of a high level Ghost can give the haunted person negative luck.


 

Expulsion

 

Ghosts of all colors have a strong aversion to both bright light and gold. If a house is afflicted by an unwanted ghost, the spirit can be driven out with either of those subjects. To completely banish a ghost forever, one can summon a cleric, shaman, Fi’ user, or alterationist to perform an exorcism. It is not necessarily possible to "kill" a ghost, but one can force them into the afterlife they deserve. This causes the Ghost to demanifest for 30 minutes, akin to death for other Descendants, and leave the area for a prolonged amount of time (weeks+).

 

Most Ghosts, however, are fairly harmless. Since they can be chased out by gold or light, it is often not worth it to call for an exorcism. Haunts are often not actively malicious. Ghosts can be malicious, but not always. Poltergeists are usually the ones that require exorcism, as they are the most actively malicious and actively perform harmful deeds.

 

Most Ghosts stick to a single place or person when they haunt. Most Ghosts will haunt the places and people they remember from their lives before they died. Sometimes, a Ghost will haunt an object and move where the object moves. Ghosts do not usually congregate in groups and don't have government systems. While Ghosts can interact with one another, they are mostly solitary.

 

When they do congregate in groups, it is usually because something awful has happened. Ghosts are usually created when people die violently or unnaturally. If a large number of people die at once, under certain circumstances, they may form up into an Apparition and the Ghosts also created may be subject to the Apparition’s judgement, oftentimes killed or consumed by the greater phantom if the Ghosts do not flee.

 

The garden variety Ghost can be an annoyance, especially if malevolent, but they are usually solitary and usually easy enough to vanquish. Since they are often attached to specific people, places, or objects, a simple solution to a Ghost problem may be just to move away from the place/thing/person the ghost is haunting.


 

Other

 

Ghosts passively feed off of the areas around them for energy in order to sustain themselves and seeing plants wither, the air become chilled, or food to rot in their presence -- not immediately -- is a usual effect of their auras. This assists them in regeneration so that, if demanifested or slain, they may return to linger upon the world.

 

Ghosts cannot learn or cast magic outside of their inherent racial abilities.

 

Ghosts are a playable race and require a Magic Application in order to be played.

 


 

Gravens

 

Spoiler

 

Formation

 

The Graven are a kind of phantom, similar to Ghosts. However, they are subtly different. Where Ghosts generally retain most of the sentience they had in life, and can 'adapt' to their surroundings, Graven are more similar to Apparitions and are bound to one area, the site of the mass death that spawned them, and cannot leave it unless that place is destroyed.They are bound to one task or duty for eternity until their quest is complete or they are destroyed for good. Like Apparitions, Graven can prove difficult to exorcise fully, but are much more easily damaged with common steel, not requiring gold or enchanted weaponry to slay. Graven tend to manifest semi-corporeal, seeming ghostly but possessing form and figure. Without this corporeality, limited though it is, they would not be able to complete their tasks, and would be tormented for all eternity in a state of agonising limbo.

 

Graven are created by the violent or unlawful death of an individual who is singularly devoted to their work or an ideal. An alchemist who devoted their entire life to finding the cure to a disease, but was murdered by a competitor, might rise again as a Graven, seeking not revenge as a Poltergeist might, but instead the completion of their life's task. In this case, it would be the finalisation of a cure, after which the Graven would slowly fade away unless given another task by a figure it recognised in life. Although Gravens take a multitude of years, decades, or even centuries to form, this is a possible scenario.This remnant would be a bare shell of the alchemist, hardly recognisable as what he was in life. This is the curse of the Graven.

 

Some examples of Graven might be a prison warden, forever questing for more criminals to incarcerate that he might practice his foul tortures upon them, but killed by rioting prisoners; a gravedigger, devoted to his work but laid to rest without heirs, or a single-minded general, assassinated the night before a major battle in a war. These Gravens would rise with only one task in mind; the duty that consumed them in life. It generally takes a violent or unlawful death to raise a Graven, and most of the people who knew that person would be long dead by the time it happens. Graven are cursed to perform a single task for eternity, be it a warden's duty, a gravedigger's burden, or a general's burning desire for victory over the foulest foes. This curse defines them and, no matter what, will linger on their very soul; a Graven’s work is never finished, only until true death greets them are they free.

 

 

Behavior

 

Gravens are phantoms, meaning their interaction with the world is limited to the one duty they treasured in life. A gravedigger is bound to spend eternity digging graves and safeguarding cemeteries. A prison warden must hunt down murderers and worse until the end of days. A general might return as a ghostly leader in the bloodiest battles, or in rare cases lead a small army of Graven to lay siege to strongholds the enemy held in life. The degree to which a Graven returns to fulfil his eternal task depends on his or her zeal in life.

 

Graven are semi-corporeal. They have bodies -- commonly wreathed in illusory darkness or spectral flame -- that can be harmed like any mortal, and unlike ghosts this harm may be perpetrated by a wielder of steel instead of silver or gold. However, in the case of more violent Graven, this corporeality also means they are able to harm others. An example of this could be that the prison warden hunts down and attacks murderers, intending to drag them back to his  giant prison for criminals of the worst kind in pieces if necessary. Other Graven may be less violent but can still interact with the world around them; a gravedigger digs graves to bury the recently departed and fulfil his quota. If someone tried to desecrate a graveyard, the Gravedigger would most likely attack them, but any other person would be able to hold a decent conversation with him, if brave enough. It differs, from Graven to Graven; some are more or less violent or vigorous than others.

 

Graven also sometimes appear to flicker, or fade from sight. This occurs because the spirit energy that ties them to this world cannot bind their soul here for long. Graven very literally work for their living; the task that constitutes their eternal burden refreshes and rejuvenates them. Upon laying a body to rest, the gravedigger would feel energised, but after a period of time spent without digging, they fade away until they can muster enough energy to manifest once more. This process is automatic; Graven cannot choose when they are reborn.

 

It also means that Graven can 'die' or be slain. Disrupting their spectral form with a sword blade, gold,  Holy magic, Shamanism, Alteration magic, or Fi’ consumes the fuelling energy that keeps them alive; stabbing a Graven through what remains of its heart will kill it as surely as any mortal man.

 

the_ghost_of_arena_by_hamsterfly-d36vgco

 

Gravens generally appear as undead or spectral beings. They might have blue-green flames instead of flesh, and a blackened skeletal visage; rotted skin and flesh tinged poison-green; or even be translucent, like your common, run of the mill Ghost. However, Gravens usually appear to have corporeal equipment or apparel, unlike ghosts. This equipment very rarely appears illusory, unlike their spectral forms and is very physical; this apparel, often additions made to their manifestation after having died, can be changed at the will of the Graven and replaced with other physical garments or attire.

 

 

Expulsion

 

As already mentioned, Gravens are susceptible to usual phantom weaknesses; they may be struck down by enchanted, gold, or even usual steel weapons as well as through Holy magic, Shamanism, Alteration magic, or Fi’. They cannot be exorcised because they haunt the very location that acts as their anchor, but should the location be destroyed the Graven is left to roam.


 

Other

 

Gravens restore their spiritual energy that allows them to persist through time by fulfilling or pursuing their task. This allows them to become restored; thus, this allows them to regeneration so that, if demanifested or slain, they may return to linger upon the world.

 

Gravens cannot learn or cast magic outside of their inherent racial abilities.

 

Gravens are a playable race and require a Magic Application in order to be played.

 


 

Apparitions

 

Spoiler

Formation

 

In the horrific event of mass-death, there is the possibility of spiritual convergence when the presence of souls are grouped. Apparitions are the product of many people dying at the same time in the same place, oftentimes when the souls present are of a dark alignment; in death, the soul shadows of congeal into a singular, combined mass of many souls. This is what lends Apparitions their formidable powers.

 

 

Behavior

 

Apparitions will fiercely defend the location of their mass-death, particularly their pillar. Apparitions are oftentimes bound to a stone obelisk or pillar; this is the very heart of an Apparition and they will defend it by extreme means. Their protection comes as obsessive, where any change within the areas nearby will disturb the phantom; should a traveler or dungeoneering crew ever coming upon the lair of an Apparition it would spell disaster to make even the smallest of alterations to the area. When disturbed, Apparitions are capable of magical feats otherwise unimaginable for any entity. They can hurl objects of great size at great speeds with their telekinetic prowess, force emotions of varying sorts upon the living, and produce nauseating screams or chilling gales. Apparitions are infamous for breaking magical and physical laws otherwise unbreakable to the Descendants and are heeded as potent adversaries.

 

Apparitions have a natural aversion to both light and gold. Light itself overloads the senses of the apparition whereas gold appears to be capable of directly harming the apparition. Gold also suppresses the influence of an Apparition whilst their pillar is the most sensitive to its obstruction; a gold-cased pillar severely hinders the power of an Apparition outside the pillar.

 

Those who dare wander into their home will often find a stone pillar constructed of many rocks. These are often an indicator of the presence of an Apparition as they live within these pillars while at rest. At first Apparitions are slow to react to intruders, often only whispering to them to depart. Yet as time passes or should the sight of the death be destroyed or desecrated they will react in increasingly violent ways.

 

Very few Apparitions will wander past the immediate area of their death, but should it be destroyed and the apparition is left alive they may wander the world. Punishment for the destruction of an Apparition’s pillar is frequently brought as the demolition of the entire dungeon or area; destroying the tomb of the spirit will result in the crushing, maiming, and obliteration of any perpetrators in their rage. These Apparitions are said to be the most deadly. Wandering Apparitions are known to hunt and slaughter those who have destroyed their homes and those related or settle in populated areas playing tricks on people at first before slowly becoming more and more malevolent with each passing day -- eventually beginning to kill the populace.


 

Expulsion

 

Apparitions may not be influenced by mundane means, and many magic types will also be incapable of interacting with these strange creatures. They however, as stated before, have an aversion to gold and light. This however does not mean they may be killed by such a method. An Apparition may be contained in a ring of light or within a gold ring but it may not be killed by it.

 

To fully rectify the problems an Apparition poses it must either be sealed within its pillar, killed outright via magical means or forced to move on by other spirits. Clerical magic as well as shamans are said to be capable of such feats. The former being able to use their patrons light to dispel them the latter (should they be of the appropriate subtype) are capable of having other spirits tear them apart into their constituent spirits and thus dispel the Apparition. That being said, apparitions are no weak foe and even expert magic users will be pushed to their very limits to defeat one.

 

 

Other

 

Apparitions gradually grow more powerful as they age. Thus the oldest of apparitions are far more powerful than their recently formed counterparts.  Ancient ones are far more powerful and younger apparitions (5 years or less) are somewhat equal to a tier three magic user. That being said, when one can not harm that which fights them they are still capable of destroying foes which an equal mage would be easily destroyed by.

 

Potential interactions with an apparition:

Battle clerics & Shamans can 'kill' it.

Dark Art users can corrupt it to their cause if persuaded.

Illusionists can 'trick' it (by pretending to be malevolent, a shade or something similar) or drive it back with light.

And fire mages and alterationists can drive it back with light.

Others could try to call upon its power, but it would require many. Malevolent intent is enough in a large (6+ group).

Those with no magical power can seal it within its pillar with gold (though it would take many people multiple deaths).

 

The older the apparition in general the more difficult it would be to deceive or convince.

Furthermore apparitions not defending their home are often weaker (unless they are wandering). Their magic seemingly losing its potency when they are away from their construct.

 

Apparitions are not a playable race and only Lore Masters, Event Team members, or approved individuals may play them. They are, after all, exceptionally rare.

 


 

Mysticism

 

Spoiler

Mystics, practitioners of the Dark Art of Mysticism, are mortals who have become susceptible and sensitive to the ethereal, sublime substance which makes up all spiritual entities: ectoplasm. Mystics boast an array of ritualistic spells and dark rites that allow them manipulation of ectoplasm, allowing them to perform a number of feats.

 

Most notably, mystics are able to:

-create new phantoms. Through a killing ritual, these spiritualists are able to kill a person and return their soul to the mortal plane as a Ghost or Graven. This act, if employed alongside other mystics, can also lead to the production of an Apparition through a sufficient number of killings.

-relocate soul shadow anchors. By binding a phantom to a stone pillar or network of stone pillars much like an Apparition, they are able to cause phantoms’ minds to warp and think of these new areas as their homes. Phantoms naturally wish to defend the areas in which they are bound for the time being and will, accordingly to their personality, guard it.

-empower phantoms. Through a very taxing ritual, mystics may cause an area to be drawn closer to the realm of the dead; the Soul Stream. When this occurs, all phantoms experience a boost in their power. Ghosts may touch the world as if they were physical and their telekinetic skills are amplified. Gravens become more robust and their minds open, allowing them more clear and less burdened thought or action. These boosts are, however, location. The increase in spectral power is locked to a given location, its borders varying on the ritual’s own tweaking.

 

Mystics bear multiple other liturgies in their arsenal, but relating to phantoms those are the most notable. Mystics, due to their sensitivity to ectoplasm, garner weaknesses and strengths similar to their spectral subjects. Their state comes to make them suffer at the strike of gold or enchanted weaponry more than other Descendants and are susceptible pain brought on through the use of Holy magic, Shamanism, Alteration magic, and Fi’. However, in this state they also seem like other phantoms to these spirits; mystics are less animals to phantoms and more personal, more human. Mystics can as well make physical contact with spirits should they wish for it or not, just as how phantoms may interact with one another.

 


 

Wights

 

Spoiler

A wight is a being which has reached the pinnacle of mysticism. They are unlife incarnate, mortal entities who have transcended the scope of life to hover just past the reach of death and into the sphere of spectrals, phantoms, and spirits.


 

Behavior

 

Akin to their undead cousins, the Wraiths and other Specters, Wights bear a host of similarities in their state of being. Wights have a stance of disassociation with the living and have an inherent bias either against them or in favor of those not living. This does not necessarily mean they are quick to be violent or oppose the living all together, just that while the ethereal tend to be less noticeable and less important to the living so too are the living to those ethereal. These ghoulish geists are grappled too by both a longing for life, where Wights are known to collect and surround themselves with reminders of their past, and disorders that align with their mental illness(es) from their past magical usage. It is relatively common for Wights to be depressives or susceptible to episodes of hysteria, dementia, or a generally frenzied state of fanaticism. As entities past the bounds of death, they are no longer their original selves, and both lose and gain portions of their personality and mind. These changes are all subject to the individual player who is giving their character these new flavors, so doing so tastefully and too much or too little is important for accurate representation of the species.

 

Lastly, the day to day life (or unlife, rather) of a Wight is an eccentric one. They often have a tendency to avoid conflict due to the very unsettling and purging sensations that come with demanifesting and regenerating, however this can be overcome by willpower. Thus, Wights tend to keep to themselves for the most part and majorly associate with mystics, ghosts, Gravens, Apparitions, Ghouls, Liches, Darkstalkers, Wraiths, and other such spectral, undead, or pseudo-living beings. Thus, Wights are apt for inhabiting otherwise inhospitable regions such as frigid wastelands, under the sea, in bleak caverns, and so on. By their curious nature, it is not unusual for Wights to take on studies or observations of their magic or the environment or collect items and bits of their homes. A Wight inhabiting a reef may take up a dress of seagull feathers, shells, fish bones, seaweed, and the like or decorate its barrow with such pieces. It’s simply a mechanism for idle occupation outside of personal activities.


 

Abilities

 

The intrinsic powers and innate skills that come with Wightdom due to their state of being mirrors both positives and negatives of all phantoms. Firstly, Wights are without a definitive body. Their corpse, hard as stone and cold as ice, is their anchor to the world and if struck in the heart by aurum or Voidal/Holy/Spiritual enchanted weaponry will bring about permadeath. The body of a Wight, their phylactery, shall never blink, beat, or breathe after their consumption of an Apparition and 1 week waiting period before petrification and rising. The form that Wights take is their ‘natural’ one, that of their original body but spectral and permanently Gleaming. As such, due to their ever present active ectoplasm, Wights bear powers much like ghosts, Gravens, and Apparitions. One similarity is their sphere of influence. This aura of dominion, a radius of about 4 or 5 blocks, is subject to the will of the Wight and acts as their realm of influence. Deadbreath, at far lesser cost, may be conjured up within the relative ease. Telekinetic, telepathic, and illusionary abilities of all moderate to lesser strength can be brought about by expressions of power and focus. However, extensive use of these powers wear away at the Wight’s strength and, if resisted or fought in such a state, would prove for an easy win for the assailant. Wights may levitate or float as they wish. They too have major if not total control over their appearance; while a Wight can alter their bodies to take on new looks, they are unable to completely lose signature features of their face or person with said transformations. An example of this is that Uldrivt, a frequently feather-adorned Dark Elf, could never take a spectral form without feathers.

 

Alongside this, a defining characteristic of Wights is their ability to possess or husk. This is where a Wight may, with their intangible and ghostly form, slip into a humanoid body and haunt it. This restricts their sphere of influence, however it allows them a greater physical presence. Without a form, Wights are as intangible as ghosts, however this can shift with their mastery over their body. However, still, the physical world is a minor limitation to Wights when not bound to a body but it is should they do so. A Wight possessing a suit of armor is physically imposing but has little to no magical prowess in said state. All they may do is slip out of the body and flee in order to regain their strength.

 

Finally, Wights -- unlike all other mystics -- can Crown and disconnect mystics. As well, due to their composition, Wights can touch other phantoms in a metaphysical sense. With being the peaks of what mysticism can accomplish, Wights are the most likely if not sole contributors to new liturgies. Should new ones be created they will be added to the guide after being approved additions to the magic.


 

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On the endnote, Wights bear similar weaknesses to phantoms. They are vulnerable to Shamanistic spirits, Holy magic, Fi’ magic, and aurum weaponry. Should they bear a body, Wights experience only moderate pain when crossing gold lines.

 

 


 

The Soul Stream

 

Spoiler

Lastly, the Soul Stream. This cryptic, ancient plane is a very perplexing one. While the Archaengul Aeriel, Caretaker of Souls is defined as the keeper of the Soul Stream, the deviations of her care of its speculated size proves that it is a realm without a true master -- if it can even be considered a realm at that. As another plane of existence, the Soul Stream has proven to outlast all others and is unfortunately the very least understood and most difficult to study subject in regards to planar sects. The true identity, function, makeup, and architecture of the deadrealm has only been theorized and guessed at, while the darkest and most occult, secretive acts of its more related magic -- Mysticism -- delves into its secrets. Necromancers have proven able to return souls from this plane into their previous bodies through a ritual to create liches, as have a very small number of other acts or magics proven it possible. However, much like a void or abyss, it is rare for something to come from the dark. Suiciders, the long-dead, and those whose anchors become destroyed such as lich phylacteries have all proven doomed to the maw of the Soul Stream. The interaction with the long-dead, their return, and other such heinous, black magic topics are highly avoided and only touched on in secret. The most delicate of information regarding the dead lies solely with the dead.

 

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What about the Wraith...

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3 hours ago, Dolgukhor said:

What about the Wraith...

 

Wraiths are not spectral undead, they are necrotic undead. Another codex will be presented eventually including them and their lore.

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https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0Vs6Pu_FBMmb0hydlF0ZDVzY0E

I've taken the whole thing and turned it into an audio file, not only for the blind but also for those who enjoy hearing someone else (as robotic as it is) tell the story and lore of these phantoms.

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Overall ghosts are fine, however we recognize that the lore needs to be consolidated into one area and brought up to date. In addition, we believe that gravens should be merged with ghosts and turned into a path that a ghost can take for consistency's sake. The LT will be handling this update of their lore (merging all additions into one thread).

 

This lore has been moved to the Pending Fixes subforum.

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